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Estonia: why confirm a former employee's job?

Every Estonian employer already has these facts on paper: the employment contract must state when the employee started work and their duties, and the employer keeps it for ten years after it ends. Confirming the same facts takes a minute and helps the person into their next job. certo asks on their behalf, with their explicit consent.

Law as of 26 October 2026 · Töölepingu seadus (Employment Contracts Act), consolidated text RT I, 03.07.2026, 35, in force from 1 October 2026, and Isikuandmete kaitse seadus, consolidated text RT I, 30.06.2026, 52

In short

  • The facts are already on paper. Every written employment contract must state when the employee started work, a description of the duties and, where it has legal consequences, the job title (Employment Contracts Act, § 5(1)). Those are the facts we ask about.
  • Your records still hold them. The employer keeps these data during the contract and for ten years after it ends (§ 5(5)).
  • It helps the person who worked for you. A record confirmed by a former employer is what the next employer trusts. Answering takes about a minute and needs no account.
  • certo asks on their behalf, with their explicit consent. The GDPR lets an organisation disclose personal data with the consent of the person concerned (Art. 6(1)(a)). The person started this check themselves, for these facts and no others.
  • You do not have to answer. Answering certo is voluntary. Declining is fine.

The Employment Contracts Act

Töölepingu seadus. Quoted from the official consolidated text in Riigi Teataja.

§ 5(1): what the contract states

Töölepingu kirjalikus dokumendis peavad sisalduma vähemalt järgmised andmed: … töölepingu sõlmimise ja töötaja tööle asumise aeg; … tööülesannete kirjeldus; … ametinimetus, kui sellega kaasneb õiguslik tagajärg; …

In English: the written employment contract must contain at least: when the contract was concluded and when the employee started work; a description of the duties; and the job title, where it has legal consequences. These are the facts we ask about.

§ 5(5): kept for ten years

Tööandja säilitab käesolevas paragrahvis nimetatud andmeid ja teavet andmete edastamise või vastuvõtmise kohta töölepingu kehtivuse ajal ning kümme aastat töölepingu lõppemisest arvates.

In English: the employer keeps these data during the contract and for ten years after it ends. Your records already hold what we ask about.

No employment certificate in the Act

We found no provision of the Employment Contracts Act that requires an employer to issue a certificate of employment when employment ends, or that limits what an employer may say about a former employee. The legal basis for your answer is therefore the data protection rules below.

§ 11: what is never asked

An employer may not ask a job applicant for data in which it has no legitimate interest, which the law assumes in particular for questions that disproportionately concern the applicant's private life or are unrelated to their suitability for the job (§ 11(1) and (2)), and may not ask about the applicant's previous or current pay (§ 11(2¹)). certo never asks you about pay, private life or anything beyond the facts listed.

Personal data

The GDPR applies directly in Estonia; the Personal Data Protection Act (isikuandmete kaitse seadus) supplements it (§ 1).

  • Art. 6(1)(a), consent. The legal basis for your answer: the person asked for these facts to be confirmed to certo.
  • Art. 7(1), proof of consent. certo records which account asked, when, and for which facts. Write to support@certo.bio and we send you the record for your request.
  • Art. 5(1)(c), data minimisation. You confirm or leave unticked only the facts listed. Add nothing else: anything beyond them is not covered by the person's consent.

What this means for your answer

  • Tick only what your HR, payroll or personnel records show.
  • Not sure it is the same person? Press "We can't find a matching record". Never confirm a record you are not sure is theirs.
  • Your policy is not to answer? Press "We do not answer these requests". The record shows your organisation declined, and nobody else there is asked.

Sources

This page is not legal advice. It reflects the law as it stood on 26 October 2026.